Do You Daydream? The Dangers Of Excessive Daydreaming Or Fantasizing Too Much
What is excessive daydreaming? Find out when daydreaming is considered a problem, its causes, consequences, and what you can do to control it more.
Who hasn’t daydreamed about winning the lottery? We thought about everything we would do with that money and even imagined what the house we would buy would be like, where we would travel and what we would do with our current job. That daydream It may be more or less vivid but it lasts a few minutes. Soon we return to reality and remind ourselves that we have not achieved that dream and that what we are experiencing is very different from what we dreamed.
There’s nothing wrong daydreaming, helps motivate us to achieve things and in fact, there are studies that show that most people daydream at least once a day. Furthermore, in some cases, daydreaming can even be beneficial for us.
The problem is when the daydreaming or daydreams They are constant and excessively. There comes a point at which a disconnection with reality occurs, what in psychology we call dissociation, and the person can confuse reality with the dream. There is so much time that passes in that “parallel world” that can become confused, creating a kind of avatar of one’s own life.
Although it does not yet exist as a diagnosis per se, it is already considered its own disorder, since in cases of excessive daydreaming The process of daydreaming stops being something healthy and motivating and becomes something harmful.
It involves spending most of the day imagining or thinking about fantasies not connected to the person’s reality. That is, of fantasize too much in alternatives that do not happen in the person’s life. This daydreaming occurs when the person is awake and this disconnection from reality can lead the person to engage in dialogue with themselves and even adopt a different attitude or personality than the one they have when they are not daydreaming.
The problem of fantasize excessively is that it produces a certain feeling of well-being (similar to the effect that a drug produces in the body) but it is a false emotional compensation that lasts a short time, confuses the mind, disorients and ends up aggravating the dissatisfactions in the person’s life, for example. which causes greater insecurity and behavioral blockage (while daydreaming nothing is done to change reality).
Such is the emotional exhaustion that it causes daydreaming or daydreams constant, (it can be most of the day almost every day) that increases frustration, rejection of life and a low mood, so the person is so tired that they do not have the strength to cope with chores of daily life, so that the present dissatisfactions progressively increase and that causes the need for daydreaming to increase, thus entering a loop with no exit.
As we have pointed out, a person who has too many daydreams or constantly tries to invent stories in his mind can be synonymous with suffering from a psychological disorder. Normally, some of the symptoms that indicate that we are facing a problem when we begin to fantasize too much are the following.
Extremely vivid dreams: In many cases, people who have too many daydreams They tend to have very vivid dreams with their plots, settings and characters as if they were stories. In this way you live for a few moments in a dream as if it were ‘real’ life.
Daydreaming as a replacement for certain situations: People who have a tendency to make up stories in your mind In a very recurring way, they usually do it to invent alternatives that have happened in their real life. In some cases this may be a sign that you suffer from anxiety about certain events or situations.
Lack of concentration: When you resort too much to the daydreams, people end up being very prone to having a lack of concentration in certain daily activities. On many occasions, those who daydream end up leaving or procrastinating their pending tasks because of it.
Insomnia or difficulty sleeping: By escaping from reality using daydreams people They tend to spend a lot of time in their minds and little time doing daily activities. In these cases, it can end up leading to sleeping problems such as insomnia.
Obsession to continue daydreaming: When you suffer from maladaptive or excessive daydreaming, people end upn having an obsession with stories that live in your mind. So much so that the individual ends up living much of his days in these daydreams.
talk or whisper: People who have a excessive daydreaming They end up talking or whispering within their own fantasies. So much so that they end up creating their own dialogues and conversations.
Daydreaming for a long time: When escaping reality through these dreams becomes something that happens for hours, this is a clear sign that this daydream It may be linked to a mental disorder.
If you identify with many of these symptoms, you may have a maladaptive or excessive daydreaming In these cases, it is important to understand why it happens and consult with a psychologist if necessary.
What are the causes of excessive daydreaming?
The majority of people who suffer from this syndrome present dissatisfaction with their life. In this way, daydreaming is usually a way to escape from reality that allows them to overcome the difficulties they have in their daily lives. Mostly, fantasize too much It is a symptom of the following pathologies.
Low self-esteem: They are usually people with low self-esteem, with complex or violent family situations. Therefore, the person lives in her daydreams in order to put aside the negativity with which he lives (whether internal or external).
Trauma: In other cases, people who usually make up stories in your mind and spend a lot of time in these daydreams, they may have been victims of abuse or trauma in childhood or adolescence, so they have found in daydreams a way not to think about what they have experienced and suffered.
Anxiety or stress: Fantasizing too much It can also be a sign that you are having ongoing episodes of anxiety or stress. In this way, the person begins to daydream to avoid the negative feelings around these pathologies.
There are different causes behind a person who daydream Therefore, if you think you may be in a bad situation and create daydreams to escape reality, you should go to a professional psychologist.
Should I go to a psychologist if I dream too much?
As mentioned, it’s not bad at all. daydreaming from time to time, in that case it is not something pathological, but a way to disconnect from reality, set future goals and improve your present. Now, if you feel that this daydream is something that takes up too much time in your daily life, causes you not to face the challenges of your present or causes you social or work problems, it is time to ask for psychological help.
How can I stop fantasizing too much?
If you think you are a person who daydream for too long and you want to correct it, psychologists recommend a series of actions with which to stop this habit with which to escape from reality. Among the most effective, we highlight the following.
Analyze your daydreams: The first step is to be aware of what you are imagining. Make a list of everything you dream of or imagine your life should be like. When analyzing your daydreams You will be able to see the pattern that is hidden behind them and discover the problem that exists in you.
Look for the function of daydreaming: What objective do you pursue? the daydream? Sometimes it is an escape route to avoid facing everyday problems, other times as an escape mechanism from traumas experienced, sometimes it is to distract oneself or stop being bored, etc.
Find out how much time a day you spend with your daydreams: Play detective. Every time you catch yourself daydreaming, look at the clock and count the time it takes you to refocus on the task at hand. Write down that time and add up the total once the day is over. That way you will be more aware of approximately how much time you have wasted in your parallel world during the daydream
Assess the consequences of daydreaming: Since it gives you a pleasant sensation, it seems that it is something that benefits you. Take some time to think about all the negative consequences that these thoughts cause (for example, lack of concentration at work, low productivity as a consequence, family and social problems, etc.).
Think of an image that serves as a brake: Once you have passed into consciousness everything that entails the daydream, it’s time to stop it. For this, the use of some visual signal can be very useful. Many people usually use the Stop sign but you can use the one that best suits you. Thinking about that image every time you catch yourself imagining will help you stop doing it.
Focus on the task at hand: Try to give yourself self-instructions of the steps you are taking or those you have to follow, make a list of what you have to do and check off what you are doing as a way to motivate yourself, set small goals (it is not the same to set yourself as a goal to read a chapter of a book than setting yourself the goal of finishing the book).
Work on the goal of your dreams: Once you have discovered the function of the daydreaming, it’s time to face solving the problem. For example, if you daydream to escape from family problems, look for a way to resolve the family situation instead of burying your head in the sand.
Make your life more satisfying: If you don’t like the life you lead, look for solutions to the problem. The daydream It can guide you to know what you want to achieve, as it looks for a way to achieve those goals, whether it is a job change, leaving a relationship, having a child, taking a trip, changing your hobbies, etc.
If you see that on your own you cannot leave behind the daydreams go to a psychology professional that can help you on this path. Stop living life through fantasies.
